


One Night Out

by stardustkr7



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batgirl of Burnside, Batman (Comics), Batman Eternal (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Batgirl of Burnside - Freeform, F/M, post Batman Eternal #52, sequel to One Missed Call
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 22:32:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3995533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustkr7/pseuds/stardustkr7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been weeks since Barbara has seen or even heard from Jason Todd after that night on the roof. Sequel to 'One Missed Call'. Post Batman Eternal #52.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Night Out

 

“So, you haven’t told me much about this girl,” said Barbara, sitting on Frankie’s bed, watching her roommate getting ready for her date.

“What’s there to tell? She’s cute, she likes tech stuff, she’s available,” said Frankie, pursing her lips and applying lipstick. “I met her on Hooq, which honestly is sometimes a gamble these days. Don’t tell anyone I said that – I still need my job there.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” said Barbara, smiling. It had been a while since she had looked at her own profile online. “I hope it works out.”

“Me too. You gonna be okay out there tonight without me?” Frankie asked, turning to look at her.

“Of course. You go have fun,” Barbara assured her. Having Frankie, or rather the Oracle, just call away had become amazingly useful. But she could handle a night on her own just fine. “Will you be home tonight?” she added.

“Hopefully not,” said Frankie with a smirk.

Before Barbara could tease her about being careful, the doorbell rang.

“Is she picking you up?”

“No, I don’t think so … we’re meeting at the bar,” said Frankie, frowning and snatching up her phone to double check.

“Well, uh, do you mind answering? I’m kind of half dressed here,” said Barbara, motioning to the black tank top, blue leggings, and yellow shoes. Last thing she needed was some random person at their door to see her in half her Batgirl uniform.

“Sure,” said Frankie, leading the way out of the bedroom. Barbara followed, stopping at the corner, out of sight of the door.

Frankie opened the door to a guy about their age, in a leather jacket with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“You are definitely not my date,” Frankie said, looking him up and down.

“Uh, no, sorry,” he said, a little sheepish. “You do look nice though,” he added.

“Thanks … So, who are you?”

“Jason.”

Except it wasn’t the man who spoke. Barbara had moved into the living room out of her hiding place, staring at him. Frankie looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment.

“That Jason?” she clarified.

Barbara nodded. Frankie turned back to find Jason looking much more nervous.

Frankie's first thought was that he was pretty cute. Her second thought was that it had been at least six weeks and Babs hadn't mentioned seeing him, which made her immediately suspicious of this cute boy and him just choosing to stop by. She stepped back, letting him in. “I’m heading out now,” she said to Barbara, gathering up her things. “If you need anything tonight, anything at all, just call,” she added, casting another suspicious glance at Jason.

“It’s fine, Frankie. Go have fun,” said Barbara, offering a small smile.

Jason edged a little closer as Frankie brushed past him. The door shut behind her and he grimaced a little.

“Don’t think she likes me much,” he said.

“Jason … it’s been almost two months,” said Barbara, not really knowing what else to say. She had started to give up. Frankie had been giving her pitying looks every time she picked up her phone too fast after it rang.

“I … I wanted to come back sooner. Really. I can explain everything.”

For weeks, Barbara had wavered back and forth between not caring about whatever excuse he dredged up when he did finally roll back into town and wanting to know what could have held him up. What was more important than seeing her again, or at the very least sending her a text or something. She thought seeing him would make her toughen back up. Instead, she found herself melting into those blue eyes all over again as he moved closer.

“I guess … you never really said exactly when you would be back,” she said, giving him a chance.  

“I swear, I really did want to come back sooner. But a lot of stuff happened,” he said.

“What kind of stuff?” Barbara asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, well, Kory left to go do her own thing and Roy’s been pretty upset about it. Devastated, actually.”

“Oh ... yeah, I guess losing a team member would be upsetting.” She knew somewhat about his arrangement, or at least that he usually spent his time with Starfire and Arsenal. "Still, if Starfire wanted to do her own thing--"

“They broke up. He’s heartbroken about it,” Jason explained, frowning a little.

“Wait, what?” said Barbara, wide eyed. “Starfire was dating Roy Harper? Like, six foot tall, looks like a model and shoots starbolts Starfire? Was with Green Arrow’s old sidekick?”

“Yeah, why?”

Barbara bit her tongue. Maybe now was not the best time to wonder what a gorgeous alien princess saw in Roy Harper of all people. Especially now that she wasn’t seeing it anymore.

“Nevermind. Why did she want to leave?” she asked instead.

“I dunno, something about wanting to start over here on Earth and not really into the hero gig anymore,” he said with a shrug. “Roy’s been a huge mess about it And it happen just after I got back, so I didn't want him to think I was ditching him too, especially to go see a ... you know, a girl when his girlfriend just dumped him. I’ve been trying everything, getting us into all sorts of random fights just to keep him busy and taking him out to try to get him to hook up with someone. I even tried to get him to talk about his feelings,” he said with a shudder. “That was truly awful, Babs.”

She smiled a little. Okay, so maybe loyalty to a friend was something she could understand.

“So where is he now?” Barbara asked.

“I couldn’t take it anymore so I dropped him at Oliver Queen’s mansion for the weekend and came here,” said Jason. “I’m sorry it took so long, Babs, really.”

“I’m not angry,” she said, stepping closer to him. It was completely true. She might have been annoyed with herself for letting her brain get caught up in feelings, but there was really no reason to be mad at him. “Really,” she added when he looked unsure, “I’m not. You don’t live in town and you’re busy too.”

“No, no I swear, it was all Roy’s fault,” he said, his shoulders relaxing a little.

“Well, you still could have called,” she pointed out.

Jason looked down, like he did really feel bad about even failing to do that.

“Yeah, I could have. I’m sorry,” he said. Then he glanced up at her and added, “You could have called too.”

“Guess neither of us are very good at this,” Barbara said.

“Is there still a … this?” he asked.

“If you’re still interested.” The non-answer tumbled out before she could stop and realize that he had come all the way back to Gotham to see her and apologized profusely for not coming sooner, so he had to still be interested in her.

Jason nodded quickly. “Of course. I mean, I understand if maybe you aren’t. It’s fine, really. But I can’t stop thinking about you and I had to see you and--”

“Jason,” she interrupted, smirking. “Shut up and kiss me already.”

He closed his mouth, unable to really form words and clearly deciding the best course of action was to follow her direction. Sliding the backpack off his shoulder to the floor, Jason stepped into her personal space. She swore there was a faint blush on his cheeks as he got closer, his hand lightly resting on her waist.

But he was still moving in so slow and she wondered if he was still worried about her changing her mind. She took the extra moment to study his face and lamented the fact that helmet covered it up in the field. Jason was so good looking, with the strong jaw, messy hair, and gorgeous eyes. It was committed to memory now so at least she could think of what he really looked like under the helmet.

Barbara let her eyes flutter closed just as their lips finally brushed. A tingle ran through her at the hesitant touch.

And then he really kissed her.

It was slow still, but the hesitation was gone as he pressed his lips firmly to hers. His other hand was also on her waist, sliding around to her pull her closer. Her hands rested on his shoulders.

Their kisses last time had been hurried, sudden, and passionate. Completely unlike this one that was so sweet, slow, and full of meaning. It didn’t feel like the type of kiss two people who had only kissed a few times before would share so soon. It left her breathless when he pulled away.

She really didn’t want to examine how deeply she felt in that moment. So after catching her breath again, she stood on tip toes and kissed him hard.

He responded eagerly. It was just as good as she remembered from last time, better even she’d wager. His skin was warm under her fingers, caressing the back of his neck. And he smelled so good, like leather and outdoors and something sweet.

She ended up perched on the back of the couch, him standing before her. Jason had a tight hold on her hips and a leg wedged between hers. And then his hands were up her shirt, each touch of his calloused fingers like fire, making the heat grow inside her. It felt so good.

Her mind felt hazy, his tongue all too distracting, but as he started trying to lift off her tank top, she remembered her original plans for the evening.

“Hmm… Jason…” she moaned, having a hard time willing herself to pause.

He kissed a soft line along her jaw.

“Ohhhhh, Jay …” she said as he reached right below her earlobe. “Wait, Jason,” she gasped, putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing back slightly.

“Babs,” he said, panting a little as he pulled back.

She got a good look at him again and almost said nevermind. The slight concern in his eyes, lips pink from their kissing, hair even messier from her fingers running through it; god, he looked so good. She wanted to pull him right over onto the couch with her and keep going.

“I can’t do this right now,” she managed to say.

Jason’s shoulders slumped at her words. “Oh … you don’t want …s-sorry--”

“No! I do want … I just, um, before you got here, I was planning to go out on patrol tonight,” Barbara said. Why she was passing up this to spend the night running around the city instead, she really had no idea.  

Jason's disappointment twisted into genuine amusement in front of her eyes. “Ah, right, no fun for bats,” he said, letting go of her and stepping back.

A little bit of her took exception to his assumption. She wasn't just a stick in the mud after all.

“Not exactly," she said with just a hint of defense in her voice.

 "Oh really."

“More like … duty first, fun later,” she said with a hint of flirting. From the look on his face, Jason picked up on it. “Did you bring your gear? We can go out together,” she added, still trying to blink away the haze of desire.

“Just like old times,” he said. “Except with a little less mind control.”

“At least fifty percent less mind control,” she said, nodding.

“At least,” Jason said, smirking at her. “We work well together, Babs.”

“Yeah, we do,” she agreed, smiling at him. After a few moments, she started to turn away and said, “I’ll go get my jacket. We should get going now.”

Before she could get too far, he grabbed her hand and waist, stopping her from behind. He leaned in close to her ear and said, “I didn’t forget what you said before I left, about having a few fantasies of your own.”

That pleasant tingle ran through her body again. She gathered all her willpower. “Maybe this is just the beginning,” she said.

In response, he kissed her neck a couple times.

“How long are you in town?” Barbara asked.

“As long as I can get away with,” he said.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you’re making me wear this,” Jason complained again, pulling a face as he straightened the domino mask across his eyes.

They stood up on the rooftop, the very same one they had that first date on all those weeks ago. The table and chairs were empty and pushed to the side, but the string of lights overhead had clicked on earlier.

“I told you, the helmet is too much for Burnside. It’s too intimidating for my crowd,” said Batgirl, going through the pouches of her belt. “Not to mention there’s already a cop around here who likes to take every opportunity to try to arrest me. No need to make it worse by hanging out with a known criminal,” she added, careful not to mention that she had once dated the cop in question.

“If he wants to arrest you, he probably already thinks you’re a criminal,” Jason pointed out, satisfied with fitting the mask.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want anyone to stop trusting me,” she said. And maybe she liked getting to actually see his face she thought as she dug what she needed out of her utility belt. And maybe she liked getting to actually see his face. “Come here,” she added, beckoning him closer.

He smirked a little and stepped over to her, even leaning in a bit. But then she moved to stand at his side, holding up her phone in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Jason asked.

“I have thousands of followers on Pixstagram so I’m warning everyone that I have a friend with me tonight,” she said, looking at the picture she just took. “Can you try not to look so … Just, smile a little.”

“There goes all my street cred,” he said with a sigh. But he put on a small smile for her as she took the picture. Then she rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek in the next picture.

“I don’t think I’ll post that one,” she said, saving it to her phone. She couldn’t help but notice the way his grin widened.

 _‘Showing a friend around Burnside tonight ;)_ ’ she captioned the photo (not the kiss one) before uploading it. Almost instantly, it started receiving likes.

“A friend, huh?” he said, reading over her shoulder.

“Maybe … maybe something else.”

* * *

 

Early on during patrol, they came across a group of guys harassing two women just around the corner from a popular club. Judging from the mini dresses and heels, they probably had just left or were on their way. The three dudes surrounding them weren’t dressed up quite as fancy but she recognized the arrogance of guys who thought they could get away with anything.

“May I?” Jason asked, pointing down at the scene.

“You have to ask?” said Batgirl.

“Well, it is your city,” he said.

“And you’re my guest. Please,” she said, motioning for him to go handle it first.

With a smirk, Jason hopped down from the ledge they were observing from, landing right behind the group of guys. One of the girls noticed, her eyes going wide.

“Ahem,” Jason said, getting their attention. “I just want to warn you entitled, self-obsessed assholes, that you chose the wrong evening to be such heinous douche-nozzles,” he said as they stared at him.

“Huh?”

“Who wants to be beaten up first?”

From her perch, Batgirl rolled her eyes as he clearly was having fun taunting them. But it was working; the three were surrounding him instead of the girls. In fact, one got angry enough to attempt to throw a punch. She watched Jason easily dodge it and return it with enough force that the guy almost stumbled over his feet.

Deciding to make her appearance known, Batgirl dropped down to Jason’s side and said, “Is there a problem here?”

“Come on, s’not worth it,” the smarter of the three said gruffly, helping the guy with bleeding nose and red rimmed eyes to his feet.

He shouted some particularly vulgar curses at her that didn’t sound near as frightening with a stuffy nose and his friends pulled him away.

Batgirl turned around to see Jason talking to the two women.

“You alright?” he asked them.

The girls were beaming and bounced excitedly on the balls of their feet.

“Omigod, you’re Robin! We saw the picture on Batgirl’s Pixstagram!” said one of the women.

“What? Oh, no, I’m not--”

But the other had interrupted and said, “Thanks so much, Robin!”

“Yeah, thank you, Robin! And Batgirl!”

Barbara waved and smiled as the two women were just about to leave.

Then the first one stopped and suddenly asked Jason, “Can we get a picture with you? Please?”

“Uh, sure,” said Jason, glancing over at Barbara. “Guess that’s a thing here.”

One quick selfie later, Jason awkwardly waved as they walked off. Barbara stood at his side, unable to hide her smile.

“That was different,” he said after a moment. “Definitely a change of pace from our last partnership.”

“I told you, Burnside is different,” she said. “No one is going to shoot you in Burnside.”

 

 

* * *

 

“Oh, no one ever shoots at you in Burnside, she says!”

She would have taken more offense to his ribbing if they weren’t currently fighting some robbers with guns, shooting at them.

“Okay! I should have said rarely!” said Batgirl, kicking a gun out of one guy’s hand then landing a second kick to the head to knock him out.

Jason punched another, knocking the gun from his hand and throwing him to the ground.

“Get down!” she shouted as the third one stupidly tried to take a couple shots at her in the enclosed alley way. She dodged, tumbling into a roll to get closer and ending with a clean leg sweep. When the robber was distracted by losing his balance, she took the opportunity to twist his arm until his dropped the weapon, then punched. “Alright?”

“It’s fine, I’ve faced worse,” Jason said, waving her off.

“In my defense, this area is more borderline Burnside so it’s usually a little rougher out here,” said Barbara.

“I hear sirens,” he said, glancing over her shoulder at the entrance to the alley way.

“Then that’s our cue to leave.”

About ten rooftops away, Barbara finally stopped and turned to him.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, of course. Are you?” he said.

She was still on an adrenaline rush but nodded. For a moment, she stood there looking at him. Her heart pounded in her ears and she felt light. One day she would probably have to face the facts that the excitement of hero work was one of the reasons she kept doing it. And fighting with him at her side added a whole new layer of exhilaration, especially when it was so clear where this was headed soon.  On impulse, she grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him down to kiss him hard.

Jason kissed her back, his arms going around her waist. After several moments of making out, he pulled away to say, “I see the advantages of wearing a mask now.”

She giggled a little. “One more loop around the city, then we’ll … go home,” she said, feeling a twinge of mingled nerves and excitement.

“Back to your place.”

“Pick up where we left off.”

* * *

 

“So, looks like my roommate isn’t back yet,” Barbara commented, peeking into Frankie’s dark and empty bedroom. Her stomach was fluttering wildly with nerves as soon as they landed on the roof of the building.

She turned to him, watching him peel off the domino mask.

Now what? She thought to herself. Despite the nerves, she was excited and wanted this to happen as much as she did earlier in the evening. But how were they supposed to get from here to there? The three feet to her bedroom door felt like miles.

Was she supposed to say something now? Bat her eyelashes and give a sultry nod to her bedroom? Better not risk the sultry nod turning into an awkward head jerk. Was something more direct like “ _come back to my room and have sex with me_ ” an appropriate enough starter? He would definitely tease her about it later.

Jason was definitely watching her though, waiting for her to make some sort of move as they stood in the entrance to the hallway. Then he glanced over his shoulder towards the kitchen.

“Hey, how about a snack or something, to wind down? Back in the day, we used to have hot chocolate at the end of patrol, remember?” he said, finally breaking the tension filled silence.

She recognized the way out he was giving her and suddenly felt a lot calmer.

Moving closer to him, Barbara took his hand and placed it on her cheek. “I don’t want hot chocolate,” she said softly. “Right now, I want you.”

His eyes widened slightly then he grinned and leaned in closer. He was just about kiss her when she said, “Of course, if you wanted the hot chocolate …”

“Barbara,” he growled, sending shivers down her spine.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him back into her bedroom. Slamming the door shut, she pushed him up against it and pressed her mouth to his.

The mask was the first article she lost, quickly followed by her jacket and cape. Just as quickly, she tore off his jacket and threw it aside. When he could get his hands back on her, they went straight to her ass, pulling her up against his body.

Getting the idea, Barbara wrapped her arms around his neck and hopped up into his arms, her legs going around his waist as Jason pushed away from the door, still kissing fiercely. He made it to her desk first, knocking things over as he set her on it. She heard several loud, heavy thumps on the floor.

“Was that … the stack of books … from my desk?” she asked between kisses.

“… Sorry,” he muttered, pulling back for a moment.

Barbara gave a short laugh and pulled him back in, biting his lip playfully and making him groan.

“Fuuuuck, Barbie,” he said, hands going to the belt still on her waist. He figured out the buckle at the waist quick enough then moved to the lower part strapped around her thigh.

“Ohhhh,” she moaned, the touch on her inner thigh sending heat right to her core. She heard him laugh quietly as he ran his fingers up and down, almost about to touch her through her pants but instead teasing her. “Jaaasonnnnnn!”

He tossed aside the belt then put his hands back on her thighs. She reached for the edge of his shirt, pulling it up his body. The fabric was tight and heavy with armor laced through, but he let go of her long enough to help pull it over his head.

For a moment, she took in the chiseled abs, broad shoulders and muscular arms. “Mmmmm.” She hadn’t even realized she let the noise slip until he smirked at her.

“Like something, Barbie?”

Barbara narrowed her eyes. Oh, she could not let him get away with that.

She pushed him back, sliding off the desk. For a moment she struggled with pulling off her shoes as quick as possible, knowing his smirk was widening as he watched her. He slipped off his shoes as well. But then she gave him another shove onto her bed, straddling his lap and kissing the stupid grin off his face.

His hands slid up her body, up her tank top, pulling away just to take it off her. Then his hands were all over her skin as he continued kissing her, lips trailing from her jaw down her neck. He unhooked her bra next and she let it slide off.

Jason paused for a moment, eyes focused on her chest.

“Like something, Todd?” she asked, her turn to smirk. She fully expected some sort of response for the teasing. And he did not disappoint.

His eyes still locked on hers, he leaned forward to give her nipple one tortuously slow lick. Despite all the passionate kissing they’d done all evening, she realized his tongue was extremely underutilized thus far. She also realized she was extremely wet.

He grinned at the little moan she gave and said, “Yeah, I do.”

Then his arm wrapped securely around her waist and he turned, moving her onto the bed beneath him. He trailed hot kisses down her front, reaching for the waistband of her leggings. She helped him pull them off, leaving her in just her thong.

She expected to feel more self-conscious as he stopped to look at her body again. Instead she felt wanted, even more turned on.

“You’re so beautiful,” he muttered, a blush spreading across his face. The mood had somehow shifted, the playfulness taking backseat for the moment’s vulnerability. She felt herself turning red too.

It was too much, so Barbara pulled him down to her lips, his skin warm beneath her fingers and his taste so good on her tongue. As he kissed her deeply, his hand trailed down her side then right between her thighs.

His thumb edged aside her panties, letting his finger slide under, instantly slick with her arousal. With hard, groaning sigh in her neck, his finger slowly found and circled her clit.

“Ohhhhh, god, don’t stop,” she whined, putting a hand on his arm to try to keep him from pulling away. Her other hand threaded through his hair as he sucked on her collarbone. It felt so good and she needed more.

He muttered dirty things in her ear, things that made her insides clench harder as his hand moved faster. She gasped scattered encouragements like “yesss!” and “don’t stop!” over and over, her voice going higher when his fingers slid inside her.

“Oohh! Jason! Ohhhh!” she cried out as she reached her peak. She gripped his arm tightly, her muscles contracting and her back arching. His fingers slowed and slipped out of her, a few light, trailing caresses sending more little tremors through her body.

When she opened her eyes at last, she found him looking down at her, awestruck.

“I… I definitely need to see you come again,” said Jason, breathing heavily.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” said Barbara with a small laugh. She was confident she would be ready for more in the few minutes it would take to get him finished undressing. “Gonna have to get rid of these,” she added, reaching up to start undoing his pants.

He smirked and rolled off her onto his back to finish the job, boxers and all, kicking them both onto the floor. The heat was pooling between her legs again as she pulled off her underwear too. Before he could move back on top of her, she pushed him back down onto the bed, one hand firmly on his chest and the other gripping his cock, straddling his thighs.

It was his turn to moan her name as she stroked him, already so hard and ready for her. She wanted to tease him more, listen to the way he said her name. But she had waited so long for this, aching for it, she wasn’t sure she could do more.

So she reached past him for the nightstand drawer, glad that she had the foresight earlier to move the box of condoms to a more easily accessible place. Shifting up his body a little to reach, she could feel him brushing against her and heard him moan again. She quickly grabbed what she needed and held back her own moaning. Tearing the packet open with her teeth, she pinched the tip and rolled it on him.

“You didn’t … I had some with me … I should have got them,” he stammered, his ears going red.

Barbara leaned forward to kiss him sweetly, to reassure him it was okay he hadn’t thought of it quicker. “I’m sure we’ll get around to using those too,” she said.

He looked almost like he couldn’t believe she might want to do this again.

She sat back up, adjusting her position a little, and then eased onto him. They both sighed in contentment. Then she started moving.

* * *

 

“Wow,” was all he said after several moments laying there, arms touching, both trying to catch their breaths. Then he laughed a little and added, “Did that really … wow … I mean …”

Barbara looked over at him as he struggled to find his words. She was tentatively taking the fact that she had fucked the coherence out of him as compliment.

“Was that real?” Jason finally managed to say out loud, speaking to the ceiling.

“Hmm, very real,” she confirmed. “And very good,” she added with a small sigh looking over at him.

He grinned at her. “It was good. Amazing. You’re amazing,” he said.

She leaned over and kissed him, then settled next to him, cuddled up to his side with her head on his shoulder and his arm around hers, the sheet finally pulled up to their waists. Her fingers traced along his chest as she thought about how good their night had gone, how much she wished it wouldn’t end.

“So, you didn’t still want that hot chocolate, did you?” Barbara asked.

“Hah. I think I’m satisfied for now, but I’ll let you know,” he said, giving her shoulder a playful squeeze. She noticed him shift as he tilted his head to look down his body towards—

“Um … I need to use the bathroom. To throw away the—“

Oh. Right,” Barbara said, moving her head off his shoulder so he could get off the bed. When he got back to her, she moved back to her position on his side, more than willing to warm him up again. He was quiet for a moment, a thinking quiet by the way he had stilled and tensed a little. She waited patiently for him to figure out what he wanted to say.

“Thank you for tonight,” Jason said.

“I don’t think proper etiquette really necessitates a thank you for this, but you’re welcome,” she said lightly. But she knew there was more coming by the way his body still tensed up next to hers.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner and … you know I can’t stay forever this time either,” he said, looking up at the ceiling again.

“I know,” she said. “It’s okay, I promise, I know what I’m getting into.”

“Eventually I do need to go pick up my sorry excuse for a friend so we can get back to work,” he continued. “I know it’s a lame excuse for leaving you, but that’s all I really got going for me.”

“It’s not. And you’ve got me,” she said, wrapping her arm around him in a half hug. Maybe she was just feeling extra affectionate at the moment, but she didn’t want him thinking getting into trouble with Roy was all he had in life. Even if things changed down the road, she didn’t believe she would ever stop caring this much about him. “I care about you. And I’m here if you need me.”

“I want to stay through the weekend. With you, if that’s okay. Spend more time together,” said Jason.

“I’d like that,” she said, kissing his cheek.

“You’re right," Jason said, "What you said earlier. This place does feel different than the rest of Gotham. In a good way.”

“I’m happy here. It’s so weird to realize that, but my life here is good and I’m good with living in the now and enjoying where I am,” said Barbara, feeling relaxed. “And I’m glad this is a part of it, glad you’re a part of it.”

He kissed her forehead. “I meant what I said last time, Barbara. If you find someone else ...,” he said.

“You’re so quick to write yourself off, Jay. Haven’t I made it clear how I feel about you?” she said, leaning up on her elbow to look at him properly.

“I just want you to know that I don’t hold you to anything.”

She nodded slowly. “Same goes for you,” she said. “I don’t know what you guys get up to out there. I probably don’t want to know. But if you find someone … I hope you’ll let yourself be happy.”

“Nah, I don’t know,” he said, laughing a little. “Who could I possibly find more amazing than Batgirl?”

“Well, you never know,” said Barbara, resting on his shoulder again, hoping he didn’t see her blush. She was starting to feel sleepy at last after such a long night.

She thought she heard Jason mention something about “a real date tomorrow” but everything else dissolved into a contented haze as she finally fell asleep.


End file.
